Golf club



Jan. 25 1927.

R. D. PRYDE ET AL GOLF CLUB Filed July 12. 1.926

INVENTORS Rqbert D. Pfjyde, Wzll'g? M. ay.

AT 01m 7 Patented Jan. 25, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT D. PRYDE, OF ORANGE, AND WILLIAM M. DAY, OF SEYMOUR, CONNECTICUT.

GOLF CLUB.

Application filed July 12, 1926.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in golf clubs, and 1t is the object thereof, among other things, to prothe golf ball, will withstand rough usage without impairment, may be finished so as to have the appearance of a wooden shaft I or any other design as may seem desirable, and to so construct the shaft that it may be readily attached to the golf head.

Golf clubs have heretofore been made with tubular metal shafts, :to which the head is generally secured by two or more screws. which weaken the head at points where great strength is required, are liable to become loosened, resulting in an insecure joint, and add to the expense of the construction thereof. Such metal shafts also rust and deteriorate from exposure to weather conditions and moisture from the hands of the player. Attempts have been made to obviate this latter difliculty by painting the shaft, butas the paint is frequently marred, scratched and knocked ofl, places are thus presented which are exposed and soon rust.

v A principal objection to the tubular metal shaft is the fact that the force of shock or impact of the head when it strikes the golf ball is not absorbed or minimized in the shaftbut is transmitted to the hands and arms of the player. that many players dislike to use metal shaft golf clubs because the muscles and nerves of the hands and arms become tired much sooner than with a wooden shaft club. l Our invention is designed to overcome these and other objections to the metal shaft golf club. This desirable end is accomplished by encircling the tubular metal shaft with an outer shell of vulcanized rubber which has a less degree-of flexibility than the tubular metal shaft, Thus we have found by experiment, that in a shaft constructed in the manner indicated that the force of the blow or impact against the ball is absorbed in the shaft and does not reach the hands of the player but is mellowed or blended in very much the same manner as in a shaft constructed of wood.

Referring tothe drawings, in which like This shock is such Serial No. '121 943.

numerals of reference designate like parts in the several figures;

Figure I is a side elevation of a golf club embodying our invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the lower end of the shaft and a sectional View of a head made of wood or the like;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragu'ienta'ry sectional elevation of the handle 0nd of the shaft; and v Figure at is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view'o-f the lower end of the shaft showing a form of our invention as designed to be used in connection with a brassie, mid-iron club, or the likes In the drawings, l0,designates the tubular metal core and 11 the shell of vulcanized rubber or the like, which-may extend the entire length of the core 10 or not, asidesired.

As illustrated, in Figure 3, this shell terminates short of the upperend of the shaft, which is covered with leather 12, or the like, as is common, and covered in part by a winding of waxed cord 14. I The outer end p111; the shaft is closed by a plug 13,'or the The shaft is projected into and cemented in the head 15, substantially as shown in Figure 2, the upper part of the head and theadjacent portion of the shaft being cov ered by a waxed cord 16, or the like. The joint thus formed between the shaft and head is rigid and permanent, and requires no screws or the like. i

With a brassie, midiron club, or the like, wherein the head is made of metal, the tubular metal shaft of the olf clubs heretofore made, have frequently roken or bent opposite the upper face of the head. This, in some measure, is due to the fact that the lower end of the tube must be annealed to drill the necessary rivets and screw holes, etc., essential to fasten the head to the shaft. At times. this annealing extends a greater distance from the end of the shaft than necessary, resulting in a softenin of the metal at a point opposite the en of. the head. Again, the metal shaft at times is so hard and brittle at this point that ithreaks by 105 reason thereof. Attempts have been made to strengthen this junction point by surrounding the metal shaft with a Wooden shell, which abuts against the end of the head and tapers at its otherend and is there covered by a waxed cord or the like, similar to that shown in the other figures.

In our invention means are provided to strengthen the shaft by inserting an inner core 17, which extends above and below the top of the head 18 and the rivets 19 ass therethrough. The shell 11 is also enlarged at 20 to form a shoulder 21, which abuts against the upper face of the metal head and forms a rigid joint. therebetween, thus obviating the necessity of a wooden shell, as heretofore, and the necessary waxed'winding cord therefor, thus a very strong joint is made between the shaft and the head without adding any material weight to the club.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A golf club comprising a head having a socket, a shaft formed of inner and outer tubular telescoping members having their lower ends disposed in the socket, said inner member being relatively short and'having itslower portion extending an appreciable dist-lance below the top of the socket and having its upper portion extending an appreciable distance above the top of the socket but terminating adjacent thereto whereby to reinforce the outer tubular member above and below the top of the socket, and means to retain the tubular member within the socket.

2. A golf club comprising a head having a socket, a shaft formed of a tubular memher having its lower end disposed in the socket, a sheath for the shaft having a shoulder formed thereon at substantially a right angle to the length of the shaft adapted to engage the top of the socket, a relatively short tubular member disposed in the shaft having its lower portion extending below the top of the socket and terminating spaced from the lower end of'the tubular shaft. and having its upper portion extending a relatively short distance above the top of the socket whereby to reinforce the shaft above and below the top of the socket, and means to retain the members within the socket.

3. A golf club comprising a head having i a socket, a shaft formed of a tubular tapered member having its lower end disposed in the socket, a relatively short tubular member of substantially the same taper as the first inen- ROBERT D. PRYDE. WILLIAM M. DAY. 

